Resume profiles summarize your skills, experience and qualifications in a single paragraph. While profiles come in a few different forms, they have one common goal: to grab the hiring manager’s attention.
But before you sit down to write your own, you should review some resume profile examples to make sure you’re on the right track.
If you’re in the middle of making a resume and would like a custom objective written for you, consider using our Resume Builder. Just enter a job title to get a handful of resume profiles to choose from.
Not ready to write a resume? No problem. Let’s start with the basics — what is a resume profile and why do I need one?
Resume profile — Why is it so important?
Resume profiles are an essential part of a resume. Usually positioned near the top of a resume, profiles lay out a candidate’s top qualifications, skills and achievements in three or four sentences.
The goal of a resume profile is twofold: catch an employer’s attention and convince them you’re the right person for the job. Hiring managers spend about seven seconds reviewing a resume before deciding whether to move on, so the resume profile is critical to drawing them in.
Understanding the definition doesn’t necessarily mean you know what to put in a resume profile, so let’s break down a real-world example.
What to put in a resume profile
A well-written resume profile will make the case that you are the best fit for the position. How do you do that? It’s fairly simple.
Let’s review an example of a resume profile summary that hits all the right notes:
This example resume profile summary is a great addition to the applicant’s resume. Here are a few ways it makes the resume more appealing:
Now, there are three different types of resume profiles to choose from. Each one serves a specific goal, so let’s review an example of each.
Resume profile examples — 3 types
You’ve probably heard resume profiles referred to in different ways — professional summaries, objective statements or qualification summaries. The truth is, while the term “resume profile” encompasses all three types, each one uses slightly different tactics.
Resume profile example — objective
An objective-style resume profile hones in on a candidate’s goals and explains why they want the job. Resume objective statements are often used for particular career situations that the candidate may want to explain. Common reasons to use an objective include changing careers, seeking a promotion and returning to the workforce after a long absence.
Here’s a solid resume profile statement example:
Resume profile example — professional summary
A professional summary is the gold standard of resume profiles. Any job seeker could write an engaging, three- or four-sentence paragraph that highlights the skills, accomplishments and experience that make them a perfect match for the role. Concise summaries packed with action words and data-driven achievements will pique the interest of an employer and show how your core competencies meet their needs.
Here’s a great resume profile summary example:
Resume profile example — qualifications summary
Our final resume profile example is a qualifications summary. Instead of laying out their career arc in a paragraph, the qualifications summary is a simple bullet-point list. An advantage of the list style is that it puts a greater emphasis on quantifiable results and accomplishments. This style is frequently used on functional resumes, one of the three resume formats.
Here’s an excellent example of a resume profile qualifications summary:
If you’d like to see how these resume profiles look on the page, check out our library of resume examples or resume templates. We even have ready-to-use resume layouts for Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Now that you know the three types of resume profiles, let’s get even more specific with some professional resume profile examples by job.
Resume profile examples for 20+ occupations
Administrative assistant resume profile example
Banker example resume profile summary
Carpenter resume profile example
Teacher example resume profile summary
Tutor resume profile example
Electrical engineer profile example
Actor profile for a resume
Hotel manager resume profile example
HR intern resume profile example
HR assistant resume profile statement
Claims adjuster example resume profile summary
Attorney resume profile sample
Legal intern resume profile statement
SEO analyst resume profile example
Medical assistant example of a resume profile summary
Paramedic resume profile example
Doctor example of resume profile summary
Registered nurse resume profile statement
Pharmacist example resume profile summary
Nanny resume profile example
Farmer resume profile example
Dialysis technician example resume profile summary
Front desk receptionist resume profile example
Dancer resume example profile summary
Auto mechanic resume profile example
Resume profile FAQ
Here are six things to include in your resume profile:
- Years worked in the profession.
- Relevant skills and experiences.
- One or two personality traits.
- Keywords found in the job listing.
- Achievements backed by quantifiable metrics.
- Career goals.
A good resume profile summary is a two- to three-sentence encapsulation of the skills, accomplishments and experiences that make you a good match for a job. Typically found at the top of a resume, a well-written summary will be easy to scan and entice the hiring manager to call you back for an interview.
When you’re finished writing your resume, make sure to create a matching cover letter. Our cover letter examples will help you write a more compelling letter, and our cover letter templates showcase a range of design styles.
Write your job profile after you’ve finished creating a resume outline. Then, comb your work experience and skills sections for the accomplishments and strengths you’d like to highlight in your profile. When finished, pull up the job description, underlining any keywords you don’t already have on your resume.
With these resources lined up, you should be able to write three or four concise, compelling sentences to summarize your career. Make sure you use quantifiable metrics to illustrate your results whenever possible and touch on the keywords and qualifications in the job description. As a final step, make sure your resume, including the profile section, is properly formatted.
A resume profile is a short summary of skills and qualifications that goes at the top of your resume. It’s no longer than three or four sentences and should convince the employer you’re the right fit for the role. A professional summary is a type of resume profile that focuses on summarizing a candidate’s top accomplishments.
If you’re writing a resume profile with no experience, you should make it an objective statement. An objective statement is future-oriented, explaining why you’re interested in the position and how you can help the company.
Since you have no professional experience, you should focus on other ways you’ve developed your skills, like volunteer work, school projects and extracurricular activities. You may be surprised to find you’ have more qualifications than you thought.